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Leisurely habit
For most betel addicts. the little shops at Yangon street corners. where they sell ready-made betel quids. leave them cold. A fastidious connoisseur must compose his quid to suit his own individual taste and chew it in his own sweet time. as he let the world go by.
But. one can hardly do so in these days of rush and hurry. One has to be content to stop at a stall. buy a quid and shove it into his mouth and rush.
If something is not done and done quickly. this gentle art of chewing betel will be irretrievably lost. Betel chewing is meant to be done in a leisurely and relaxed manner. It is definitely not for the restless and the hurried. Take. for instance. a lady of my grandmother's day; she would sit with her legs decorously tucked in on a finely woven mat. edged with an inch-wide red velvet. She had before her all the paraphernalia of betel chewing.
The lady with a betel box
The circular betel-box. at first glance. looked solid. until the lid was removed and the bowl inside uncovered. The top of the bowl was fitted with two shallow trays. one on top of the other; on the upper tray were four little cups and a brass phial. In the cups were the ingredients for making betel quid. namely betel nuts. cloves. cutch. anise seeds. shredded wild liquorice ice or sweet creeper (nwe-cho). In the brass phial was lime. soft and pure.
In the tray right under the first one was a layer of dried tobacco leaves: only when the tray was taken out. the main bowl with green fresh betel leaves was revealed.The lady first shredded the betel nuts with a small nut-cracker; she then took a betel leaf and with her dainty fingers. remove the stem and the edge of the tail-end and smeared it thinly with lime.She then put a little each of shredded betel nuts. anise. cutch and tobacco leaf and folded the edges to make a neat compact quid and secured it by sticking a clove into it.
Not for the one with two left hands
It took practice and training. and above all. art to make the betel quid and much more skill to chew it daintily. so that the lips were reddened like rubies. There are many love songs praising the "lips reddened by betel juice and the sweetness of breath".
In my younger days. in the small town where I grew up; no one. if any. had heard of things like lipsticks. For "dressing up" occasions we girls were given a betel quid each to chew and redden our lips with. Many did it charmingly. But I was not among that ""many". I only succeeded in making an awful mess. With my best white muslin jacket stained with betel juice. and streaks of red juice running on my chin. I did not come anywhere near being the belle of the party.
Lips reddened with betel juice Anyway. it was fortunate for me and also for all concerned that I was not born in the age when ladies were expected to sit on a finely woven mat with red velvet endings. making betel quids. With my two left hands. i would never manage to make a quid. The task of putting those leaf and packing neatly was not for me. To be sure. all these shredded betel and anise seed things would fall out even as I tried to stick a clove to secure the edges.
The chances are that I would upset the betel box and there are few things in the world as chaotic as a betel box upset. By that time, the quid I was chewing would be dripping with red juice and the whole thing would be a masterpiece of slovenliness.Supposing courting swains were present. what chance would I have? Perhaps. I might worm my way into someone's heart by this show of helplessness. A forlorn hope this. This manner of helplessness would hardly conduce to the blossoming of romance. No swain would ever queue up for the favour of getting a betel quid from the likes of me. So why should I bemoan. after all. the decadence of the gentle art of betel chewing.
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The Arcadia that is Sagaing
The motor launch skimmed over the wide expanse of foaming waters of the Ayeyawady River.The city of Mandalay faded away in the distance.
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Myanmar has a moderate climate and is also rich in different species of flowers.
Here are some of the flowers found in Myanmar.
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No pagoda festival in Myanmar is complete without a marionette show. Festivals come after paddy is harvested and when farmers can look forward to a shortspell of leisure. What is more. they have hard cash to spend.
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Flora
As in the rest of tropical Asia. most indigenous vegetation in Myanmar is associated with two basic types of tropical forest: monsoon forest (with a distinctive dry season of three months or more) and rainforest (where rain falls more than nine months per year).
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It is the custom of Buddhist families to send the sons to the kyaung (monastery) where they stay for a few days as koyins (novices) receiving religious instruction under the phongyis (monks).
One of the duties of koyins is to go on daily alms round in the early morning. The faithful of the village put their offering of rice curries and sweets in the alms bowls. Often a phongyi kyaung tha (a boy from the monastery) follows the monk and koyin with two three-legged trays carried on the ends of a pole balanced on his shoulders. Small cup on the two trays receive all the food that cannot go into the thabeik (alms bowls) carried by monks and koyins. As might be expected. the family of the koyins will take special care to prepare alms food. The sister. anxious for her brother who has to stay away from home. harkens to the sound of the triangular gong that heralds the coming of the koyin on his alms round.
Hark! from the village's brow
comes ting-a-ling of the triangular gong.
Our novice of the bamboo grove kyaung
on his alms round he'll come;
Hurry. please with the alms food bowl.
Little boy away from home
The young sister. eyes sharpened by love and absence. looks at her brother and asks: "Our brother koyin. why so pale and wan? Aren't you well We all ask:" The koyin answers. "I'm all right. little sister. pray tell them all I'm only a bit tired;
walking on alms rounds
down the village lane."
The young sister still has more anxieties for her koyin. Monasteries are often ruled under the iron discipline of a kapiya a lay disciple usually an old man who is the general factotum to the presiding monk - a regular sergeant-major of the institution.
Anxious young sister
The littlest sister fears that the old tyrant might rap on her koyin's shaven head.
The old kapiya
They say he's a terror.
Oh. I fear he"ll rap
On my koyin's shaven head.
The doting sister. in concern for her brother cooks hit favourite dish and puts it on the tray carried by the phongyi kyaung tha. the boy from the monastery. As ill luck would have it. the clumsy boy supped on the road and all the cups were broken.
"Yestermorn. I cook'd with care your
favourite curry for you. dear koyin.
Alas. the boy slipped on the village
lane and all the bowls were broken!"
The simple songs give us a sidelight on Lenten activities. A season for doing meritorious deeds. people often take the opportunity to do what is considered one of the highest and noblest deeds. namely. to give one's own flesh and blood to the Order of the Buddha. They may not be able to give away their sons for the whole life time. but at least they can let them stay for a few days at the monastery.
Whilst willing to do their duty as good Buddhists. to deny themselves the company of their loved brother is not easy for the women of the family. Their feelings find expression in ardent enquiries and overzealous attentions. Such little things enhance their good deed and add human touch to the solemn religious activities.
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Family
Much has been said about the institution of family in Myanmar. that it is essentially a relationship based on specific duties and responsibilities on the part of husband. wife. parents and offspring.
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Sunny days after rains
"Only a few days to Thadingyut. and the skies are still hanging low with dark clouds."Such is the thought that hangs over us as the end of the lenten season draws near.
We have had enough of the torrential rains and the accompanying hazards. like colds and influenza.
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Myanmar Calendar consists of 12 months.Since Myanmar Calendar is based on the Lunar Calendar. the months of the English Calendar and the Myanmar Calendar will differ in months.
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Why no more pa-de-tha trees?
One of the best loved stories I heard in my childhood was the story of the pa-de-tha. the wonder tree that bears all the things that the human heart could wish. If you feel like eating a succulent dish of noodles. you just go to the tree and pluck it. If you want a dress for your important date. there you could have your choice from the most exotic creations from the Tree. The Tree would give just about everything you wish for. you only have to go there and pluck.
The Tree grew at the beginning of the world and later it disappeared. It happened like this. I was told. One rule the humans must observe was that no one must take more than he could use at one time. The human. however. mistrusting one another. began to pluck more than they needed and stocked things in their homes. When one began. others soon followed suit. Quarrels and fights followed and the Tree was destroyed.
Like Christmas tree
The word pa-de-tha in Myanmar is synonymous with plenty. and inexhaustible wealth. In this season of Tazaungdaing festivals. we can see that the pa-de-tha tree is back. Go anywhere in town. in streets and markets. you will see preparations for the ka-htein offering of robes to the sangha in progress. There. standing in front of the decorated marquees are wooden triangular structures. hung with things like packets of yellow robes and other gifts. like a Christmas tree.
They are the pa-de-tha trees to be offered to the Isangha. who after staying in the monastries during the lenten season. may be going to their hometownoron their mission. once the ban on travelling is lifted at the end of the lent. It is the time when they will be in need of robes and other articles of use.
Even though the robes could be offered to the sangha at anytime of the year. the seasonal offering is considered more meritorious. The offering of ka-htein robes at this season is an important date in the Buddhist calendar.
Putting a'fruit'on the tree
One of the beauties of the ka-htein offering is that it is a communal offering. eveyone contributing whatever he can. however little. Even the poorest can be a donor. Contributions in money or in kind are accepted. Any chance passer-by can gain merit by putting a 'fruit' on the pa-de-tha tree be it a one Kyat note. or a napkin. or a small tea cup.
Last but not least. it is an occasion for songs. music and dances. What more could you ask with all the fanfare of music and songs. people enjoying themselves. as if there had grown real pe-da-tha trees of olden times. Perhaps. because they have done meritorious deeds. they would be reborn in the land where such trees grow.
A pa-de-tha tree on your door-step
There are stroies of how the act of dhana (giving) bears fruits. and the pa-de-tha tree often plays an important part. Go to any pagoda and when you put a coin in the donation box. the man sitting with a triangular brass gong accepts the gift striking the gong and intones a prayer for you. and amongst the good things he wishes for you; he will say. "May you have a pa-de-tha tree on your door-step." and "may you never have occasion to hear the word. 'want' or 'no more'."
Never to hear 'want' or 'no-more'
I like especially the story of the man who. after doing an act of dhana. wished that he might never hear the word 'want' or 'no-more'. He was reborn a prince. and one day while he was playing with his friends. his mother sent him some eatables. which naturally. were shared with his friends. The prince sent for more but his mother sent word that there was 'no-more'. The young prince. not understanding the word. asked his mother to send the said 'no-more' to him. The mother sent him an empty hamper. but the deyas (gods). because of the deed the prince had done in the past filled the hamper with the choicest of delicacies. From that day on the young prince and his friends declared' no more' was the best they ever tasted.
There is the story of a poor man who offered his one and only nether garment'to. the Buddha; he was later reborn a rich man with a. pa-de-tha tree that blossomed forth clothes. right on his door-step. One is simply thrilled at the idea.
A Blessing indeed
The pn-de-tha tree cannoi be planted by a green- finger expert. but it can only be nurtured by acts of dhana.
Today. during this season. it is heart-warming to see lots of pa-de-tha trees growing among festivities. They represent the spirit of dhana and people's unswerving faith in the Buddha's teaching and also the trust and kindliness among the people in the community. All these go to make the annual ka-htein offering a great joy.
It is a nice feeling that you too could contribute to the planting of a pa-de-tha tree. by simply hanging a kyat note or any small gift on the tree. Perhaps. you too might have a pa-de-tha tree right on your door-step. and if you have done in the right spirit you shall never hear the word 'want' or 'no-more'.
It would be a blessing indeed.
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When a boy and a girl come of age and. love one another and will want to marry and live happy ever after. a wedding ceremony will be performed for them where their parents. relatives. honourable guests and friends are invited. so that they will be recognized as a newly married couple. This wedding ceremony we present. celebrated according to Myanmar Traditions and computable to the modern age.
As marrying is a once in a life time occasion. Myanmar women regard the wedding ceremony very seriously. and you can be sure the bride will be having cold feet. butterflies in her stomach and perspiration on her forehead as she faces this very special day of her entire life. On this day of matrimony. it's a custom for the bride's family: parents. brothers and sisters. to dress her up in the finest of attire and bedeck her with the best jewelleries they can afford.
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Myanmar zat pwes have not lost their hold on us in spite of the invasion of movies and other forms of entertainment. One essential feature in the Myanmar zat-pwe is that we do not look for realism on the Myanmar stage. The dance. song and music build a fantastic world of make believe.
That is why the zat-pwe cannot be appreciated when one tends to be rational.
The purpose of zat-pwe is to entertain and to convey a few truths for us to live by. Most of the stories enacted are from the Buddha's birth stories whose moral values are universally recognized.
Nuggets of wisdom
Decades ago. people from rural areas owed their education to monasteries and zat-pwe in that order. Many of the great artistes of the Myanmar stage learned literature in monasteries and they gave the audience nuggets of wisdom through their songs and lines spoken on the stage.
Stage characters
Like all dramatic arts. the Myanmar stage has its own stock in trade characters like belu (ogre). zawgyi (demi-god with miraculous powers). nat (celestial being). naga (sea dragon) and yathe (hermit). There are also dramatic situations that help to symbolise certain abstracts ideas.
Belu. naga. zawgyi and nat are colourful characters that are sheer delight to the audience. The belu dance is a poetic composition of grace. ruthless virility and elusive swiftness. the one that fills the audience with awe and admiration. The zawgyi dance is colourful. thrilling. and full of gusto and bounce.
One does not naturally pause to think if there is such a creature as belu or zawgyi. One does not put poetry under a microscope.These mythical dances are to be enjoyed. not to be rationalised.
Many of the dramatic stories are not credible; for instance. the story of the.princess born out of a lotus bud. It is neither rational nor scientific; but who wants to be that. when we are watching the beautiful princess come out of the lotus bud singing:
At the soft tender caress of zephyr
The padonma lotus petals unfold;
And I. the goddess maid. come forth.
The princess born out of a lotus bud symbolises the flawless virtue of the princess and her ethereal beauty. The whole scene with all the dance and music is a hymn to womanhood.
Virtue versus sin
One of the popular scenes in Myanmar zat is the seduction of the virtuous woman by either a belu or a zawgyi. In Rama zat. the princess is left alone in the forest with a line drawn around her; she must not go beyond. the line drawn on the ground. Then the belu comes in the guise of a holy man and tells the princess he will not accept her offerings unless she comes out of the bounds. It is presumed that the belu cannot cross the line drawn on the ground and take her away.
To the rational mind. it sounds ridiculous that a belu cannot cross the line drawn on the ground. But then. the line symbolises the bound of propriety that a virtuous wife should not overstep. When the princess goes beyond that bound. she exposes herself to the evil machinations of the belu.
Zat-pwe; medium of education
This is meant to be a warning to women. In the days of our grandmother there were few books to read. no women's magazines. no lonely hearts column. Zat-pwes were the medium of their education.
It isa stroke of genius that the villain who tempts the virtuous heroine is either a belu or a zawgyi. The drama of conflict is between virtue (personified by the heroine) and sin (personified by the belu or zawgyi). Sin is not represented in a repulsive form. in which case. it might be easier for the heroine to resist. but it will weaken the dramatic force.
When sin is personified in the attractive figure of either a belu or zawgyi. conflict becomes more intense. In representing sin as colourful characters the dramatics must have been carried away by their own emotions. When Milton presented Satan he could not help adding colourful strokes that came very near glorifying the villain. It is human to be attracted by the glamour of sin. as moths are by the glare of light.
Sin appears on the stage virile. graceful. ruthless. and full of dignity like belu. or sometimes colourful. mysterious. playful and teasing like the zawgyi. The resistance of the virtuous woman against such an antagonist heightens the drama.
Mythical beings: no play complete without them
One of the mythical characters that seems to be most unsatisfactory is the nat without whom no play is complete. even though he does not seem to do anything at all. His function is. however. as indispensable in Myanmar drama as the Chorus is in Greek drama. They are commentators. not emotionally involved in the plot.
The play moves on. its characters loving. hating. laughing. weeping. everyone tossed by the waves of passion. but there has to be a character who is like a rock even though everyone around him has gone berserk. Such a character in Greek plays is the Chorus. usually represented as Father Time.
Our nats and hermits serve the same function as the Chorus. but they are more attractive. Unlike the Chorus they do not stand apart from the plot. They participlate in the plot but do not interfere with it.
the nat or hermit that some special message or moral lesson is conveyed to us.
It is complete suspension of disbelief. sheer delight in music and songs we seek in a zat pwe. All this and moral lessons too!
Dramatic conventions
The example of the part played by the nat or a hermit can be illustrated by a stock dramatic plot. A baby prince is left in a burial ground. because there is a war going on between his father and another king. The baby is picked up by a poor goat-herd and brought up as his own son Since the next scene must show the baby as sixteen-year-old. something has to be done to bridge the passage of time. So in between the two scenes. a hermit or a nat comes out and comments on the evils of war and greed and soliloquises on the fate of the young prince in the house of a poor goat-herd; to make things easy for him. the nat or the hermit bathes the baby in a magic pond. And lo! and behold! a young prince rises out of the pond with appropriate music and songs uttering declamations.
Deus ex machina
We ask why should this hermit or the nat with such miraculous powers appear only after things have gone too bad? Where was he when all the war and killing took place? Why can't he prevent the horrid war that deprives the baby of his parents? But then we forget that if the nat or the hermit could prevent that war there would be no plot. no zat at all.
We come to see the pwe not to ask questions but to enjoy. And it is often through the lines spoken by the nat or hermit that some special message or moral lesson is conveyed to us.
It is complete suspension of disbelief. sheer delight in music and songs we seek in a zat pwe. All this and moral lessons too!
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Myanmar Kick Boxing (Myanma Lathwae)
A national sport is a sport or game that is considered to be a popularly intrinsic part of the culture or is the most popular sport of a country or nation. A long time ago. Myanmar's national sports included Thaing (the martial arts of Myanmar) and Chinlon (the playing of a rattan ball in group). The characteristics of National Sports share the following rules.
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A man wearing a gaung baung typical of the style in the late 1800s.
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
Back in the colonial days. many Myanmars had pictures that reminded us of the days when Myanmar was a free sovereign state. like portraits of King Mindon. King Thibaw. and his queen. the last to rule Myanmar. and also pictures of General Bandoola who lost his life defending the country against the British. We. as growing children. learned our history even before we learned to read. from those silent memories.
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Ethics and duties of these were defined in Myanmar culture. centuries ago.
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Inside of a cheroot
Everyone knows the Myanmar-cigar. as the trusty dictionary says. is a tight roll of tobacco with pointed ends for smoking. But what do we call the other kind. the Say-baw-leik. or mild tobacco cigar. as the word implies? We call it cheroot. but it does not tally with the description given in the dictionary; ''cigar with both ends open". It was only one end for lighting and the other end has a filter. a small roll of dry corn-husks.
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Myanmar has a tradition of kickboxing that's said to date back to the Bagan era. although the oldest written references are found in chronicles of warfare between Myanmar and Thailand during the 15th and 16th centuries. Myanmar kickboxing (Myanma Let-hwei) is very similar in style to Siamese kickboxing or Muay Thai.
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There seems to be no end of things gotten out of the toddy palm. There is yet one product which is a popular household equipment in rural and(urban homes. It is htan-khauk-pha. htan-khauk = toddy palm frond: pha= box or basket). it is called pha for short.
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Myanma Chinlon
The Myanmar term Chinlon refers to games in which a woven rattan ball about 12 cm in diameter is kicked around. It also refers to the ball itself. which resembles the takraw of Thailand and Malaysia. Informally any number of players can form a circle and keep the Chinlon airborne by kicking it soccer-style from player to player; a lack of scoring makes it a favourite pastime with Myanmar of all ages.
In formal play six players stand in a circle of 22-foot circumference. Each player must keep the ball aloft using a succession of 30 techniques and six surfaces on the foot and leg. allotting five minutes for each part. Each successful kick scores a point. while points are subtracted for using the wrong body part or dropping the ball.
A popular variation is played with a volleyball net. using all the same rules as in volleyball except that only the feet and head are permitted to touch the ball. It's amazing to see the players perform spiking the ball over the net with their feet.
Because Chinlon is played basically with foot and other parts of the body - head. shoulder. elbow. knee. heel. sole etc. except for the hands. foreigners look upon it as Myanmar football. But there is no goal to shoot in Chinlon playing and no fixed number of players needed to play it. The main object of Chinlon playing is to keep it as long as possible in the air without touching it with the hand. It may be played by a single individual all by himself or by a team of players in circle. catching the chinlon as it comes round their way and keeping it as long as possible in the air by tossing it up with leg. heel. foot. sole. knee. shoulder. head but not with the hand. Players usually play with bare feet and have their waistcloths (longyi) tucked up close round the middle. But to day both men and women players wear shorts and canvas shoes. For men. chinlon playing provides a good opportunity to show off their masculine physical beauty especially if the body. thighs. hands and chest are well tattooed.
It is so nice or even exciting to watch a good player or a team of players in circle. standing on one leg all the time. taking every possible posture and movement to keep the chinlon in the air or to prevent it from touching the ground. giving one another difficult strokes. negotiating by tossing. kicking and bouncing - all tactical movements. and spectators applauding when they appreciate skill and stroke of the players. If chinlon is played as an entertainment at a festival. it is accompanied by music. A band of percussion and wind instrumentalists continuously play while the chinlon play is on. and music changes its tempo in harmony with the movements of chinlon and players. Chinlon is not only played by men but also by women. A skilful player can play with four to eight Chinlons using all possible tactics to keep them on or around his or her body.
When and how chinlon originated in Myanmar is an academic question to be addressed by researchers. But a silver chinlon was discovered enshrined in the relic chamber of Baw Baw Gyi Pagoda at an old Pyu City "Sre Kestra" near Pyay. There are also references to chinlon and chinlon play in folk songs and literature. Besides quite a few books on chinlon and techniques of chinlon playing have appeared in the vernacular language. Chinlon is designed simply to exercise the body.
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Some ancient writers extracted 38 points out of Buddhist teaching. and adapted into Myanmar culture to practice whenever possible. Whenever someone greet as "Mingalar par" in Myanmar. he or she virtually refers in brief that right now. there are these 38 rules are practiced right there. at the time and day of greeting.Mingalar par
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Prim city matrons are loud in their grouse and usually their discontent is with the spiraling of prices of meat and fowl. Now. it is also scarcity of coconut hair oil and. as a last straw. the forbidding prices of Thanakha.
Thanakha - botanical term (Limonia Acidissma Linn ) is essential as well as a favorite cosmetic which comes in the form of a yellow paste applied to the face and goes under the name of Thanakha. Hence. this has developed into a topic of lively comment in the Myanmar Media.